The virtue of constraints. When anything is in excess, we tend to not value it, whether it is time, money, resources, people, or anything else. Whereas we are very conscious of how we use the scarcely available resources. Setting constraints can help us move away from the challenges of excess and focus on what
Resistance comes back. Resistance is cunning. When we stop fighting it, when we start believing that we have conquered it, that's when it will creep back in slowly but surely. The only way to fight resistance is to be as stubborn as it is.
Seeing the obvious. Seeing the obvious isn't so obvious, especially when it comes to seeing what's obvious for us. It can hide in plain sight. Others can see it all for years but for us to absorb it, believe it and to live by it is another game altogether.
Left door or right door? The left door is critical, brings self-doubt, questions your self worth. It's the door of scarcity and criticism. The right door is about possibility and abundance. It sees you as a confident doer who is not afraid to make mistakes. It has compassion, self love and generosity. Which
Receiving, not taking. Adam Grant talks extensively about givers and takers in his TED Talk, "Are you a giver or a taker?" as well as his book, "Give and take". Most of us who identify ourselves as givers encounter an emotional challenge in receiving something, whether it is praise,
Being a contribution... When our focus is on the "me", then our child parts get activated, the parts that are insecure and afraid and for whom no amount of attention, love and care seems to be enough. Alternately, when we strive to be a contribution, the focus shift away from the
Beating resistance by going slower. When we go slower, we make space to act with intent. When we are in a rush, Resistance keeps us busy without being productive. Slowing down seems counter-productive at first but as the saying goes, we can go slow to go fast.
It's all invented. Excerpt From The Art of Possibility by Ben & Rosamund Stone Zander... A simple way to practice it’s all invented is to ask yourself this question: What assumption am I making, That I’m not aware I’m making, That gives me what I see? “And when you have
Self-sabotage isn't just fear. Self-sabotage mostly shows itself as fear, as a well-wisher, as someone trying to protect us. But it's not just fear. Fear is only a part of it. The part that tries to maintain the status quo because it knows that we'll be safe if the status
The critical voice inside your head... ...is rarely right. ...is rarely supportive. ...is rarely helpful. Can you choose to not listen to it and listen to the other, calmer voice instead?
Get it done. You can try to make it fancy. You can try to make it perfect. But if you can’t get it done on time, it doesn’t matter. Done beats perfect every day.
When things don't go as expected... We can choose to react and go into a crisis mode. Or we can choose to respond and figure out what we can do now. The more we practice choosing the latter, the better we get at it.
A few questions that help... "What is the one thing I need to do today that I am afraid to do?" This question brings the spotlight on the thing that's most likely to be procrastinated/avoided. And once we answer this question, we can choose to make it the only thing
Identity creates leverage. Trying to change our actions/habits while our identity remains contrary to the change becomes an uphill battle. On the other hand, if we start by changing our identity with intent, we create leverage and make the change easier. The hard work is to let go of the existing identity
Rest is underrated... …and so is happiness. Being a professional doesn’t mean we say no to life. We can learn to make space for the work that matters while also taking care of our well-being and happiness.
Open to possibility. If we let go of our need for certainty, we can open ourselves to engaging with possibility. The skill lies in embracing the way things are and then figuring out what we can invent now that can help us move forward.
Fear of none Bad can lead to good. None won't. A bad dance performance can lead to another bad performance can lead to a good one. Instead of fearing the bad performance, can we choose to fear not performing? And learn to embrace the bad instead.
What would it look like... ...if it was easier? ...if it was fun? ...if it was effortless? Asking these questions can help us see our projects in a different light. Hard work for the sake of hard work isn't productive.
Pushing through resistance. Resistance does not go away on its own. If we listen to it, it will push us away from our work. And the more we listen, the more powerful it becomes. The only way to counter this is to push through resistance, to get something tangible done. The more we
Money and emotions. Earning money is a skill. A skill that involves creating the conditions with intent that lead to consistent and sufficient income. Allocating or spending money is a different skill, one that requires us to prioritise investment over expenses and build a system that helps us do this in a sane
Being a contribution. From The Art of Possibility by Ben & Rosamund Zander Strolling along the edge of the sea, a man catches sight of a young woman who appears to be engaged in a ritual dance. She stoops down, then straightens to her full height, casting her arm out in an arc.
Decoding stress. Stress is a sign of trying to force change the way things are. How can we instead embrace the way things are? How can we be aligned with the way things are, including our feelings about the way things are?
Early signs. We have a tendency to ignore the early signs: A not-so-loud noise that starts coming from the car engine. A flicker in the overhead light that happens every now and then. A general sense of being out of creative and productive juice when we sit down to work. A subtle
Sunk costs. Decisions made in the past are not relevant to the decisions to be made in the present or in the future. It's imperative to choose to decide based on the facts that we know right now and where we are going. We can choose to ignore everything else
